Recent advances in microbiological synthesis of organic acids from petroleum substrates has provided commercially feasible methods for high volume economical production of methylated muconic acids. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,289 issued May 14, 1968 to Richard L. Raymond and Virginia W. Jamison and U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,158 issued Apr. 28, 1969 to George Suld disclose methods for preparing methylated muconic acids and their hydrocarbyl esters. Concurrently, the need for new plant growth regulators has been expressed by the horticultural industry. Also, there is a growing need for new processing and stabilizing additives for use in elastomeric compositions. A new group of chemical compositions which have been found to have utility in plant growth regulation as well as in rubber processing has now been discovered.